二十二 ❀

[naicha]

✿ action 1
<sub>[ When the cherry blossoms disappear, Taiwan holds her breath. Japan always adored things that come and go so easily. Now he was one, too. She should've known better than to expect this the least. Watching his figure put on his coat and walk out the door, Taiwan knows it's not him. And stay out! Taiwan thinks as she slams the door shut. She feels like flicking his drone on the forehead for his remarks. "Be a good wife and make him dinner?" Ooh, the nerve! ... This makes her miss the real Japan already. Hm? What? She's not going to cry, that's silly. Even so, no matter how many times she's learned how to stand on her own, she can't help but feel abandoned. It's okay, though. Not that it hasn't happened before.

At the cafe, it's business as usual. Employees will find that there are no costumes for them to wear, though, if they don't already bring their own. Behind the counter isn't Japan typing away on his computer, but Taiwan, accounting everything by hand. She lifts her head up whenever a customer passes by. ]</sub>

Welcome!

_{[ With no makeup masking her troubled state, Taiwan quickly ducks back into her work again. She isn't even eating anything. She does try her best to put a smile on her face, though. Look! It's as if nothing happened at all. ]}

✿ action 2
_{[ Two siblings are walking around town together, but there's something odd about their dynamic today. ]}

And he was like, "Ah, is that so." And then I was like, "Yes! Yes, it is so!" Ooh, but I tried and tried and he still wouldn't let me and I was so mad that I could... _{[ p-punches her palm ]} hit him...! But I didn't 'cause I'd feel a little bad, you know. Oh! I was gonna say sorry for calling him a stupidhead today, but when I woke up and checked on him, all his stuff was gone! Just like that. It's not fair, you know, I mean- _{[ She waits for a witty, candid response, but nothing. Her voice is full of anger. ]} Hey! _{[ Then worry. ]} Hey, say something...

_{[ It goes on like this until Hong Kong's drone arrives at work. Very upset with this turn of events, Taiwan starts her walk home looking a little glum. She's not exactly looking where she's going, so she might bump into you, a drone or a pole. A detour she makes to the elementary school's playground is where others may find her hanging upside down on the monkey bars. ]}

✿ phone/action for 1245 williams road

Hello... Um, _{[ There's the sound of Taiwan wiping her face with her sleeve. ]} um! _{[ She takes in a deep breath. ]} Japan's... gone and stuff. If anyone wants to hit him, you don't have to, 'cause I already did. If anyone's worried about the cafe, I'm taking over, you know! I mean, until he comes back...

Ahaha, I feel a little dizzy! I think I'll go lie down now.

_{[ But she can't stay still! After the call, she'll be around the house, arranging all the clothes they have by color and sorting the records and books alphabetically. ]}

Comments

[prpl_assistant]

/If they are your good friends, then no, they would never want to leave you. Like how you would not want to leave all your friends as well.

A wise woman I spoke to said that Mayfield wants to...break us. To make us sad and to make us give up. So I'm going to try my best not to be like that, even if Mayfield takes away all my friends. Because I know that someday, all of us will be able to go home; we just have to wait for that day.

I'm sure that you have other friends as well, friends who are worried about you and want to see you happy. Your friends who have left would not want to see you upset as well. They would want to see you happy, even in this sad place.

We can be sad for a while when people leave, because it IS sad, but then we have to carry on. For them and for those are still here, and for ourselves as well./

[naicha]

_{[ Taiwan understands all too well, but as a nation, she is still young, and youth just isn't used to this. Like a child that halfheartedly listens to the words of adults that have been repeated to her over and over again, Taiwan nods to get by. ]}

/Mm. I'll be fine by tomorrow.../

<sub>[ The truth is she'll probably forget she ever frowned by then.

... What Miss Pauling says about her friends never leaving her, that's something she wants to take to heart. She clenches a fist near her chest. ]</sub>

[prpl_assistant]

/Are you sure you'll be fine, Miss?/

(Miss Pauling doesn't believe that she'll be alright by then. Losing someone isn't something that you get over just like that; it takes time to heal.)

/If you still need someone to talk to, I'll be around. Just call./

[naicha]

_{[ And Miss Pauling's right about that. ]}

/Okay... Um, what's your name?/

[prpl_assistant]

/Miss Pauling. What is your name then?/

[naicha]

/Thank you, Miss Pauling. I'm Taiwan!/

[prpl_assistant]

/Taiwan?/

(She suddenly recalled that the young woman had earlier mentioned a "Hong Kong" as well. She must be one of the nations then.)

/Nice to meet you, Miss Taiwan. Do you come from the same home as Mr Lithuania, Miss Ukraine and Mr Russia?/

(She extends a hand, thought she had to admit, shaking hands with a country was not one of the things she'd ever imagine she'd do in her life.)

[naicha]

_{[ Taiwan shakes Miss Pauling's hand, though not as enthusiastically as she normally would. ]}

/Nice to meet you, too! Yeah, I am. I mean, we're not in the same area, but we're from the same world and stuff... A lot of people here don't know about us for some reason./

[prpl_assistant]

/Well, most...worlds don't have countries who are people at the same time. It was very strange to me at first when Mr Lithuania answered the phone the first time I came here./

[naicha]

/Ah, Lithuania! He's a nice guy. You should meet everyone else, too! There are a lot of us here, you know. Like America and Canada and Japan...

Oh. Oh yeah, hehe. Japan's not here anymore./

[prpl_assistant]

(She caught the change in tone and Taiwan's fake laughter when Japan got involved. It isn't hard to put two and two together to figure out which friend of her's just got droned.)

/I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you, Miss Taiwan./

[naicha]

_{[ Taiwan looks away. ]} /It's okay. It's not Miss Pauling's fault./ _{[ She's the one who keeps remembering. ]}

[prpl_assistant]

(Yeap. Definitely not going to be fine by tomorrow. There has to be a way to cheer her up...)

/...Miss Taiwan. Would you like to learn how to skate?/

(She's not that good at the comforting, unfortunately. But she knows that she can't let Taiwan think too much about it. Getting her preoccupied and too busy to think about Japan would help her at least get over it.)

[naicha]

_{[ Shouldn't be too hard. She's easily distracted. ]}

... Skate? Like Korea's Kim Yu-Na? She's really good on ice! _{[ She looks excited! But that's a different kind of skating... ]}

[prpl_assistant]

Well...not exactly...I'm talking about rollar staking actually.

Ice skating is a lot harder than rollar skating, but once you get the hang of rollar skating, you should be able to pick it up faster. I'm better at rollar skating, but I can teach you how to ice skate as well, if there's an ice rink around.

[naicha]

Oh, I don't know if there is one... But sure! I'd love to learn roller skating from you!

Lol, we switched back to English. XD

[prpl_assistant]

Do you have your own skates? I don't have a pair yet so I was actually thinking of getting one soon. If you don't have one, we can go shopping for them together some time.

Oh I... forgot... pretend they're still talking in Mandarin!?

[naicha]

_{[ Anyway, it's not like Taiwan consciously makes an effort to switch to English when there's a translator in place... But it did make her feel comfortable when no one else could understand their conversation. ]}

I don't have any. Ah, really? Is that okay?

OK.

[prpl_assistant]

Yes, it's fine. I'd like the company. How about this coming Saturday? Do you have work then?

ahh I'm busy this weekend, though, so i can't log it. i mean, if you wanted to. ;;

[naicha]

I own the cafe now, so I get to say when I have work and when I don't. I'd love to!

We can always backtrack when we're free. I'm going to be busy this weekend as well!

[prpl_assistant]

Alright then, Saturday it is. We'll get roller skates, knee pads, elbow pads, helmets in the morning, and then we might try skating at the park in the afternoon.

I was also wondering...whether you'd be willing to teach me Mandarin as well? I'd like to speak it better.

okay!

[naicha]

Yeah! _{[ She nods enthusiastically. Yes yes yes! ]} I can do that! I'll be a good teacher, like Teacher! Even though he's not really a teacher.

How about this weekend, and we backtrack to last weekend?

[prpl_assistant]

Teacher? (Now that was weird. Who would be a teacher to a country?)

ahh I won't really be free until next weekend. ;; Sorry!

[naicha]

Teacher. _{[ She nods and doesn't elaborate any further. ]}

Wah! I'm slacking off again... Ahh, this Saturday, for sure, okay?

It's no problem at all. Anytime is fine with me.

[prpl_assistant]

Alright. (She can figure it out later.)

Seeing as you're about to go back to work, would you mind taking my order, Miss Taiwan? I'd like one milk tea, if that's alright with you.